Atonement of Blood Read Online Free Page B

release, nor that things would turn out all right in the end. He knew her too well to come out with such platitudes.
    ‘I know you love your brother very much,’ he said quietly, his hands squeezing her cold ones tenderly.
    ‘He is all the close family I have left,’ she wept. ‘Our mother died giving birth to me and our father died soon after. My eldest brother, Forgartach, died when I was studying law. So Colgú and I are close.’ She gave a shuddering sigh. ‘We remained in touch with one another even when were studying and I went into the religious. We saw each other whenever we could.’
    ‘And yet it seems that you have so many cousins. Finguine, your brother’s heir apparent, for example.’
    ‘But none of them are as close as Colgú and I, even though we are a kin-based society. Family is very dear to us and our genealogists are strict in recording our ancestry. Our genealogies go back to the beginning of time.’
    Eadulf inclined his head in acknowledgement. ‘I have heard your
forsundud
– your praise poems of your ancestry.’
    ‘Neither king nor chieftain can be installed without the
forsundud
of his ancestry sung before the assembly,’ agreed Fidelma and then, with some pride she dashed away the last of her tears and added: ‘Colgú is the fifty-ninth generation from Éber Finn, the son of Milidh, and founder of this Southern Kingdom. It was the eight sons of Milidh, the warrior, whose birth name was Golamh, who landed with the Gaels on the shores of this island and established themselves here. That was in the time beyond time when they had to fight with the ancient gods and demons …’ She paused and Eadulf was almost sure she was smiling in the gloom. ‘Or so our legends tell us.’ There was a pause and then she sighed: ‘It will soon be dawn. No more sleeping. Light a candle, Eadulf, and fetch some wine.’
    Eadulf felt satisfaction that he had distracted Fidelma from feeling sorry for herself. He could understand why she could not sleep, but he himself felt tired and would have liked to go back to bed. However, he picked up a candle and, knowing a lamp was always lit in the corridor, he went outside to ignite his candle from it. He had opened the door of their chamber when he heard a movement.
    It was Enda, one of the young warriors of the King’s guard. He was standing sentinel.
    ‘Anything wrong, friend Eadulf?’ Enda demanded.
    Eadulf shook his head. ‘We could not sleep, that is all.’
    Fidelma appeared at the door, pulling a woollen shawl around her.
    ‘What is it?’ she asked. ‘Is there news of Colgú?’
    ‘No, lady,’ replied Enda. ‘Caol has placed me here to watch. I am sorry to disturb you.’
    ‘You did not,’ replied Eadulf, lighting the candle from the lamp. ‘Good night.’ He went back into their chamber with a nod towards the warrior and shut the door behind him.
    ‘Caol is obviously worried that this assassin might not have been acting alone,’ mused Fidelma, sinking back onto the bed while Eadulf placed the candle to give the best advantage of its dim, flickering light.
    ‘He is cautious, and rightly so,’ agreed Eadulf as he poured two goblets of wine and brought them to the bed. ‘It is always best to be on guard until we know all the facts.’
    ‘And we can’t begin to gather the facts until it is lighter,’ Fidelma sighed. ‘Is that what you are thinking?’
    ‘There is truth in that. The answer does seem to lie in discovering who Liamuin is or was, and why she should be remembered by Colgú at the hour in which this assassin intended his death. We were speaking of ancestry a moment ago. Is there anyone in your ancestry who bore that name?’
    Fidelma drew her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around them.
    ‘I do not think so.’ Then she raised her head with a gasp. ‘How foolish! Wasn’t Liamuin the name of one of the five sisters of the Blessed Patrick? Wasn’t she the mother of Sechnall? Sechnall the poet who wrote that famous